An Understanding
by Annjirika
Summary: [Oneshot] [Sequel to Midnight Moonlight] Ever wondered what happened to Riku? The thing about being a Hunter...your job is never done. [Happy Birthday Bert]


A/N: Happy Birthday Bert! All I have to say is…don't kill me Bert. Oh yes, and it's also ONLY A ONE-SHOT. THIS WILL NOT BE CONTINUED. I don't think, anyway.

XxXxXxXxXx

"Daddy. What's a vampire?"

Expert gloved hands fumbled with the smooth, round baseball. Aquamarine eyes trained on bright green ones, studying the solemn girl for a few moments, wondering how to field that question. "Where'd you hear about vampires, Korinne?" He asked finally, letting the ball drop onto the rocky island ground.

Korinne's eyes traveled past his shoulder, back to the horizon, her usually light expression turning pensive. Riku was reminded of himself as he watched her. Like him, she had an uncanny tendency to act older than she was. "Tana's mom says you fighted vampires." She said, her short legs swinging freely from her perch on the old bent paopu tree. "Tana says vampires are monsters and you kill 'em."

Riku's gaze lowered for a moment, resting on the light-colored bark his upper half was leaning against. He picked at a loose chip thoughtfully. He'd hoped to avoid this sort of conversation for at least a few more years, when he figured the rumors would reach Korinne. He'd hoped that the eight-year lapse would dull the island's legend tellers.

"Not all vampires are monsters, Kor." He said finally as he scratched the bridge of his nose. "Don't…tell Tana, but I used to be friends with a few vampires." He winked at her; glad he'd chosen to put a positive spin on the answer. He didn't want her to brag that he was a murderer, not when she didn't understand it.

"With monsters?" She asked, her voice torn between awe and naïve cynicism.

"They weren't all monsters. Kor…what am I gonna do with you, huh?" He groaned, pulling her off the tree and lowering her to the ground.

"Pick me up." She demanded promptly, tugging on his hand and lifting her arms expectantly.

"Pick you up." He grumbled, sighing as he obeyed. He rested her on his hip. He no longer had trouble reading people's mind when he touched them, after spending much more time concentrating on perfecting that gift. Occasionally he would slip, maybe when he was tucking Korinne in for the night, catching her thoughts of sneaking downstairs to watch TV. Sometimes when he'd brush against Tynan, he'd catch a glimpse of her mind. Which was what led to Korinne's existence in the first place…

"_My_ daddy fights monsters." Korinne said, smiling widely at him, revealing two missing front teeth. He chuckled at the pride in her voice. For him, it wasn't that great of an accomplishment; It was just a past he would have rather forgotten. "Are there really monsters under my bed?" She asked seriously, her arms wrapped around his neck as she leaned back to look him in the eyes.

He smirked, once again marveling at the stubborn likeness she shared with him. "No." He answered, brushing her reddish-brown bangs out of her face. Then he leaned forward, letting his forehead rest against hers, and whispered, "I killed 'em."

"Hmph." She nodded in approval, giving him a loud kiss on the cheek.

"Oh, _dad_ gets kisses." A voice, slightly accented, spoke up from the bridge. There was laughter in her dry tone.

"Mommy!" Korinne cried, sliding out of her father's grip. He struggled to catch her before she landed, hating when she'd surprise him like that. She hit the ground on her feet, much like a cat, and took off under the tree.

Riku ducked under the tree as well, his pace slower and steadier than his daughter's were. Tynan gave Korinne a smile, lifting her up with a groan and hugging her tightly. He'd always found it amusing that Korinne was nearly half her size at such a young age, despite being born premature. Tynan had never seen it quite so comical. Beside his wife, he realized Kairi was there as well. He gave her a sideways hug, squeezing her shoulders. "Hey Kai."

"Hey." She smiled brightly at him, gripping his arm and

"And what have you two been up to, hmm?" Tynan asked, interrupting his thought. She raised an eyebrow as she looked between Riku and Korinne. When her eyes fell on Riku, the shadow of a smile appeared on her lips, almost ruining her 'serious' façade. "Let me guess, your father let you binge on ice cream and stay up way passed your bed time." She looked back to Korinne sternly.

Riku could see Korinne's struggle not to grin as she turned to wink noticeably at him. He smirked, holding a finger to his lips, quickly putting an emotionless expression back on his face when Tynan looked over again. "Of course not. What kind of dad do you take me for?" He let his arm slip off of Kairi's shoulders, smiling slightly.

Tynan laughed dryly, glancing over at the redheaded woman beside her, then let Korinne slide down to the ground, keeping a hand on the child's messy red hair. Her features shifted, becoming serious. Riku recognized that look.

"Kor," He said suddenly, casting a smile down at the girl. "Would you go find that baseball for me?" She nodded, dutifully running off toward the paopu tree again.

"She _never_ listens to me like that." Tynan muttered, watching as Korinne bounced over. "Daddy's girl." She added, sneering at Riku playfully.

Riku shrugged, reaching over and resting a gloved hand on the back of her neck, rubbing lightly. "So what's the verdict?" He asked, his tone becoming businesslike.

Kairi's soft smile vanished, her eyes darkening. "It's happened." She replied, her tone not at all as gentle as it had been before.

Riku's heart quickened. He looked at Tynan for confirmation. "And they're sure?"

"There've had surveillance kept on Traverse for six months, after a series of attacks last year, and they do have verification that they're branching out. They said they have reason to believe Destiny Islands is a target. Though, I don't know why vampires would choose an island to take over." Tynan scowled, watching as Korinne became sidetracked with making trails in the sand with the small white ball.

Kairi and Riku shared a look. "I'm sure I do." Kairi sighed, rubbing her forehead tiredly. "Point is, it's happened. He's going to try to spread his rule, and we're first thanks to some grudge. The best thing we have going for us is twelve hours of sunlight."

"Him? Grudge?" Tynan looked confused for a moment.

"Squall." Riku answered his voice low. "And I'm sure Yuffie's not completely innocent in this either." It had been so long since he'd mentioned her, since he'd really _thought_ of her. The image of her face, slightly blurred from years of disregard, surfaced in his mind. Kairi nodded. "Have they given a time frame?"

Tynan shook her head, ponytail whipping around her face. "They just said to be prepared for anything." She sighed, biting her nails, a nervous habit Riku hadn't seen from her in years.

He tightened his grip on the back of her neck for a moment, then released. "We'll be fine."

"You're Hunters, of course you'll be fine." Tynan sighed, turning her gaze to her daughter yet again. Riku started to say something, hearing the worry in her voice and hoping to reassure her, but found there was nothing he _could_ say.

"Korinne." Kairi called suddenly, smiling at Tynan and Riku. The young girl looked up at the sound of her name. "You want to go with me to find Uncle Sora?"

Korinne's eyes practically lit up. She ran over, small feet pattering against the wooden planks as she approached. She dropped the ball into Riku's hand and grabbed ahold of Kairi's. "Can we play Monkeys and Baboons again?" She asked, eyes bright and hopeful.

Kairi nodded before giving a meaningful look to Tynan, then to Riku. She let her gaze linger on his for a second longer, and he picked up on her subtle implications. He let down his guards for a second.

_Take care of your business and come find us again. We're going to have to go on the offensive here, Riku. Soon._

Riku nodded shortly, his nonverbal reply to her comment. She seemed satisfied, turning back on her smile as she led Korinne toward her house. Riku watched her leave, his eyes lingering on his daughter's small frame as she walked.

He clenched his jaw shut tightly, the thought of someone coming in and ruining their peace overwhelmingly angering him. He had hoped it would never return to this. He had hoped he would never have to fight to protect his life, to protect the ones he loved. Not again.

Everything had been fine for the past seven years, quiet and calm. He'd actually lived a normal life, one without the fighting and the fear. He'd met Tynan nearly a year after his second return to Traverse Town, and had fallen in love with her. Ten months later, they were married. Not too long after _that_, they found out about Korinne.

Then, a few months ago, there was a body found in an old abandoned shack on the island. The autopsy revealed the body had been drained of blood, presumably drawn from two small holes in the neck. That day had been one of Riku's worst. Another body was found three weeks ago.

That was when the King's men had came in, informing the Hunters that Traverse Town was in the process of declaring war on it's surrounding worlds. Riku and Sora had stayed behind to watch the kids, while Kairi had taken Tynan along to the Hunter's gathering. Tynan wasn't a Hunter, but Riku felt it was important that she understood what they were up against.

"Tynan." Riku sighed, glancing out at the ocean. It was painted orange and pink, reflecting the sky.

"What should Korinne and I do?" She asked quietly, following his gaze.

"You'll stay with me." He answered without hesitation.

Tynan's eyes snapped to his, her brow furrowing. "I can't _fight_ them, Riku. I'm not a Hunter."

"You can still fight. You're going to be safest with me. And with Sora and Kairi around…don't worry," He said, keeping his voice as neutral as possible. He could see the doubt in her indigo eyes. He let his guard down again, his leather-clad hand resting on her shoulder. More than hearing her thought, he _felt_ what she thought. He lowered his eyes, letting the barrier slip up again without removing his hand. "Nothing's going to happen to Kor." He added gently.

Tynan scowled at him. "Stop reading my mind," She demanded. "You know I _hate_ that."

Riku chuckled, glancing down at the bridge below them. "Sorry. Just don't worry about it. We dealt with this years ago; they can't be any worse now." He said, pulling her into a hug, forced to hunch over her small frame.

She slipped her arms around his back and sighed. "Okay." She replied in defeat. It was strange for him to see her in such a mood. Usually she was upbeat, sharp-tongued, triumphant…now she seemed subdued.

"You're tired?" He asked, releasing her and returning to his full height to look down at her.

She nodded, pulling at her hair as she did. "Yeah, actually. I think I'll go pick up Korinne, and head home for the night." She leaned up and gave him a quick kiss on the lips. "See you at home."

"I'll go get Korinne." Riku offered. "You just go ahead and go home, before it gets dark." He said, concern apparent in his voice.

She looked at him for a minute, then smiled. "Alright. But hurry, you need to be home before dark too." There was a heavy pause, during which Tynan's eyes flickered meaningfully, and Riku read it loud and clear. With a smirk reminiscent of his teenage days, he nodded and shoved his hands in his pockets. His eyes lingered on her backside as she walked away, the smirk still frozen in place.

xXx

He paused in his stride, feeling his body tense when he sensed someone watching him. He tilted his head slightly toward the right, listening for the ghost of a whisper. He opened his mind, knowing if there were any people around he would read their mind.

_Well, well, well…_

A dry voice echoed through his head. He sucked in his breath, his hands suddenly shaking. He turned his head in the direction of the voice, into the shadows of the edge of the forest. There he saw her.

Their eyes connected for a second, and he felt it all come rushing back. The scar on his stomach burned. He watched as her thin lips curved into a small smirk, her familiar eyes twinkling through the darkness. They stayed like that for a few moments, neither speaking nor moving.

Finally, she slid back further into the forest. He could hear her laughing softly and knew what was funny. Eight years later, and they still had an understanding.

"The next time I see you, I'll kill you." He said softly, knowing she would hear.

_I can hardly wait…_

xXxXxXxX

Happy Birthday Bert.


End file.
